Split cone thread packages

ABSTRACT

A cone on which thread is wound has a central frangible section at which it may easily be broken. The thread forms a winding on the cone at each side of the section leaving a space where it crosses the section. The cone may be snapped in half to give two independent wound cone parts, each with approximately half the amount of thread. This allows the purchaser the flexibility to use the cone in various ways. In one embodiment, the cone parts may be urged axially together after the frangible section has been broken, to become removably attached to one another with a reduced space between the respective windings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Filed of the Invention

The invention relates to spools, cones and like devices for holdingwindings of thread. It is particularly applicable to packages, uponwhich is wound sewing thread for industrial applications.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In the clothing manufacture industry, for example, there is anincreasing demand for garments to be made in small numbers at a time.Sewing thread for the making up of garments has traditionally beensupplied in a number of different formats, principal among which is acone carrying 5000 to 10000 m of thread. Where smaller quantities ofthread are needed, a cop spool may be preferred, which carries typically1000 m. The terms "thread" and "yarn" are used more or lessinterchangeably herein, or as idiom demands.

The large capacity of the cone can be a disadvantage as production runsbecome smaller and large amounts of thread are often wasted. The copspool is a small diameter tube so that the innermost turns of yarn maybe undesirably tightly coiled. Because of the small capacity of copspools, they may need to be replaced frequently, which is time consumingbecause the thread from the two spools needs to be joined.

Of course, an intermediate size of spool would be possible but it isinconvenient for all concerned to deal with too many different standardsizes and, besides, it will not always be clear in advance how muchthread will be required in which formats.

The term "cone" as used in this specification is not intended to limitthe shape of the spool on which the thread is wound and includes, interalia, spools of generally frustoconical and cylindrical shape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a cone on which thread is wound, the cone havinga central frangible section at which it may easily be broken into twoparts generally perpendicularly to its axis and the thread forming awinding on the cone at each side of the frangible section, leaving aspace between the windings where the thread crosses the frangiblesection.

In a preferred embodiment, the cone includes means for attachingtogether the two cone parts after the frangible section has been broken,so as to reduce the space between the respective windings. This may beachieved by one cone part being partially inserted in a hollow in theother cone part, where it is removably retained by engagement betweenprotrusions on the respective parts.

The surfaces of the cone supporting the windings on each side of thefrangible section may both taper slightly in the same axial direction.

The invention also provides a method of winding thread on a cone havinga central frangible section, the method comprising the steps of: (a)rotating the cone while supplying thread through a yarn guide thatreciprocates relative to a datum and parallel to the axis of the cone towind thread on the cone at one side of the frangible section; (b)advancing the yarn guide datum through a fixed distance along the axisof the cone and (c) rotating the cone while supplying thread through thereciprocating yarn guide to wind thread on the cone at the other side ofthe frangible section.

A preferred method includes the further step of (d) breaking thefrangible section of the cone and urging the two cone parts axiallytowards one another to attach the parts removably together with areduced space between the two windings.

The cone of the invention will typically be wound with a similar lengthof yarn to the known cone, i.e. 5000 to 10000 m. However, because thethread is in the form of two windings on either side of a frangiblesection, the new cone may be snapped in half to give two independentcones, each with approximately half the amount of thread. The two coneswill be linked by a single thread, which can be easily cut or broken. Ifthe cone is not broken, the thread will simply be withdrawn from onewinding first and then the other, with no need for intervention at thehalfway stage. Thus the invention allows the thread manufacturer tosupply a single product, while allowing the purchaser the flexibility tomake use of it in various ways.

It is a cause for concern that after the cone has been wound, the singlethread bridging the gap between the windings on the respective coneparts might allow the yarn in the first winding to work loose duringtransport and handling of the cone. (The gap is necessary to allow thewinding machine to operate). Also, handling of the wound cone withoutsufficient care could cause the frangible section to break prematurely.

Both these problems are solved by the further step of breaking thefrangible section by urging the two cone parts together, to be removablyattached with a reduced gap between the windings. A sufficient reductionof the gap will trap the single thread between the respective windingsand prevent it from working loose. This removable attachment may be madestronger than the frangible section for increased strength duringtransport of the cone and does not prevent the cone from being usedeither as a whole or in two separate parts.

Although a snap connection between the two parts is preferred, withengagement between respective protrusions on each, other possibilitiesare envisaged, such as a screw thread or a bayonet connection.

It is envisaged that the cone will consist of an injection mouldedplastics tube but other materials such as cardboard may be possible. Thetube will be almost divided into two halves near its centre, the halveshowever being held together by a thin membrane around its circumference.An alternative would be for the frangible section to comprise acircumferential slot bridged by a small number of easily broken tabs.

Of course, the frangible section need not be precisely in the centre ofthe cone and the principle of the invention could equally be applied tocones carrying three or more separate windings, with frangible sectionsbetween each adjacent pair.

The method of winding the cones may be carried out on existing automaticthread winding machines without extensive modification. Themodifications necessary are described below in relation to FIG. 4 of thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a fully wound cone according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially in section, of the cone of FIG. 1 in anunwound condition.

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of part of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cut away perspective view of part of a known automaticthread winding machine.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the machine of FIG. 4 on a creel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The cone 8 of FIGS. 1 to 3 is a slightly tapering hollow tube ofplastics material, with a circumferential step 12 approximately halfwayalong its length. FIG. 1 shows how, following the winding process, athread 10 forms a winding on the cone 8 at each side of the step 12 butnot where the thread 10 crosses the step 12.

FIG. 3 illustrates the step 12 in more detail, showing how the twohalves of the cone 8 are connected by only a thin membrane 14 around thecircumference at that point. The membrane 14 is easily broken, allowingthe two halves of the wound cone to be used separately.

If it is desired to transport the wound cone before use or to use thewhole cone together, the membrane 14 may be broken by pushing the twohalves of the cone axially together, rather than by pulling them apart.An outwardly facing bead 18 on the rim of the smaller diameter cone partis urged over an inwardly facing protrusion 17 on the larger diametercone part, until the bead 18 locates within an annular recess 16 in thelarger diameter cone part. Engagement between the bead 18 and theprotrusion 17 holds the two halves of he cone together, so that themutually facing surfaces of the respective windings are closer to oneanother than could be achieved by the winding machine. Thus the strandof thread 10 between the two windings is effectively trapped.

The automatic thread winding machine partially shown in FIG. 4 comprisesa thread guide 20 mounted on a rod 21 for depositing thread on a cone(not shown). The machine shown in FIG. 4 comprises a cam follower 23which can be secured to the rod 21 by tightening a nut 24. The camfollower 23 has a projection engaging in a cam slot 25 on a drum 26.Rotation of the drum 26 advances and retracts the rod 21 along thecylinder as the guide 20 deposits thread thereon. In general, more thanone reciprocating thread guide 20 is driven from a single cam 25.

The machine illustrated is well known; it is modified for carrying out amethod according to the invention as follows. The machine is providedwith a rotation counter and an electro-pneumatic valve (not shown). Whenthe counter registers the desired number of turns wound on the firsthalf of the cone, it causes the electro-pneumatic valve to move the drum26 axially from a first winding position to a second winding position.The counter is then reset electrically and when it registers the desirednumber of turns wound on the second half of the cone, the fully woundcone is ejected in the usual way and the electro-pneumatic valveretracts the drum 26 to the first winding position ready to wind anothercone.

In FIG. 5, the machine of FIG. 4 is shown in outline only with the yarnguide 20 and rod 21 indicated adjacent a space 30 in which a coneaccording to the invention may be mounted to have thread wound thereon.Supply packages 31 are loaded on the creel, and thread ends 32 are drawnoff towards the guide 20.

I claim:
 1. A hollow cone on which a thread is wound, said cone having agenerally cylindrical configuration disposed about a vertical axis,comprising:an upper and head end of the cone of a first diameter, saidhead end having an annular rim that defines an outwardly facing bead; alower and tail end of the cone of a second and larger diameter than saidfirst diameter, said tail end having an inward facing annularprotrusion; a central frangible section of the cone located between thehead end and the tail end of the cone which maintains a vertical spacingbetween said ends, said frangible section comprised of a thin membraneintegrally connecting said head and tail ends, said membrane beingeasily broken such that said cone ends can be pushed axially together,wherein said outwardly facing bead is urged over said inwardly facingprotrusion and into releasable engagement, thereby forming a shortenedcone with a reduced space between said cone ends.
 2. The cone accordingto claim 1 wherein said first diameter of the head end of the cone andthe second diameter of the tail end of the cone taper inwardly along asame axial direction along said vertical axis, said taper being constantfrom said lower end to said upper end.
 3. The cone according to claim 1wherein said membrane is of an annular and continuous form.
 4. The coneaccording to claim 1, wherein said inward facing protrusion includes anannular recess for seating said outwardly facing bead therein.
 5. Amethod of winding a continuous and single length of thread on a hollowcone having an upper head end, a lower tail end, and a central frangiblesection therebetween, said frangible section maintaining a spacedrelationship between said ends and formed from a thin membrane that iseasily breakable, said membrane integrally connecting said endstogether, said cone disposed about an axis, comprising the stepsof:rotating the cone about its axis; supplying the thread through a yarnguide that reciprocates relative to a datum and parallel to the axis ofthe cone to form a first winding of the thread at one of the head endand tail end of the cone; advancing the yarn guide datum through a fixeddistance along the axis of the cone, such that said thread is strungfrangible section and onto the other of said head and tail ends of saidcone; rotating the cone while supplying the thread through said sameyarn guide to form a second winding of the same thread on the other ofthe head and tail ends of the cone; breaking the central frangiblesection of the cone; urging the head end of the cone axially toward thetail end of the cone; and removably attaching the head end of the conewithin the tail end of the cone so as to form a reduced space betweenthe windings wherein said thread that is strung between each of saidends is protected within said reduced space.
 6. The method according toclaim 5 wherein the rotation of the cone proceeds until a predeterminednumber of rotations of the thread are wound onto the head end of thecone and wherein the rotation ofthe cone further proceeds until apredetermined number of rotations of the thread are wound onto the tailend of the cone.
 7. The method according to claim 5 wherein thereciprocating of said yarn guide results from the yarn guide guardengaging a rotating cam and wherein theadvancing of the yarn guide guardresults from advancing the cam parallel to said axis of rotation of saidcone.